


Never Felt Lonely

by starandrea



Series: Wedding Series [2]
Category: Power Rangers Ninja Storm
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-12
Updated: 2009-12-12
Packaged: 2017-10-04 08:56:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starandrea/pseuds/starandrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hunter spends most of his downtime with Cam in Blue Bay Harbor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Felt Lonely

  


## Never Felt Lonely

  


### by Starhawk

  


This was not good. Hunter had expected Kapri's arrival to cause some chaos. She was naturally loud, and putting her in a small room with Marah was just asking for trouble. But she was back in town for the first time in more than a year, he knew what it was like to be out of the loop, and in a moment of weakness he'd taken pity on her.

He hadn't realized Dustin already had three visitors. He hadn't known the combination of Cam and Shane would be quite so combustible. And he definitely hadn't counted on walking in on tears, specifically Marah's, which Kapri was bound to take personally.

Thank god Dustin's roommate was off getting scans or physical therapy or whatever they did in this wing of the hospital when they weren't in the middle of visitor-inspired soap operas. The fact that they were the only ones in the room probably saved them from getting security called on them. As it was, Hunter was just waiting for hospital personnel to start gathering in the doorway--either to watch or to throw them out. It was kind of a tossup at this point.

"Who started this?" he asked himself, speaking aloud but not expecting an answer. No one was paying any attention to him. If he wanted to not get arrested, he could just leave now and no one would even notice.

Shane was standing up, getting in between Marah and the rest of the room, and Kapri was about two seconds away from hitting Cam. That would be a disaster. Hunter could see it coming now; Cam would grab her arm and Marah would scream and then nothing they could say would convince the nursing staff that they were helping Dustin recover.

Okay. Time for some serious intervention. He waded into the fray, looming over Cam's shoulder in a way that was meant to keep Cam in line as much as anyone else. "Back off," he snarled at Kapri. "You're not helping anything."

He ignored her shrill indignation while he glanced over at Shane. He was pretty sure this was his fault. "Would it kill you to leave the academy _at_ the academy once in a while?" he demanded. "You don't think he gets enough crap from his dad, you have to help?"

"Dude," Dustin protested, and Hunter was sure that it was only the fact that he was talking that made Shane confine his response to a glare. "Shane didn't do anything. Maybe if everyone could just, like, take a step back--"

"It doesn't get any more _back_ than this," Cam snapped. "I _left._ I'm done with the Wind Academy. What else do you want from me?"

"Cousin, I really think you need to stop yelling at people, because it's really just making you more angry and _we_ didn't do anything to _you_ so I don't know what you're so upset about," Kapri was saying. She just didn't know when to shut up.

Marah was babbling too, trying to explain what had happened while Dustin told the whole room to just calm down. Shane was ignoring both of them, and he was the only one Hunter could actually understand. "I don't know how I got to be the bad guy in all this," he was telling Cam. "Just because I still talk to Sensei doesn't mean I'm taking sides."

"Talking to him and spying on me are different things!" Cam shouted. "Who I spend time with is none of your business!"

Hunter clamped a hand down on Cam's shoulder before he realized what he was doing. He'd never seen Cam lose it like this, and even if he was pretty sure that Shane wouldn't actually let it come to blows he wasn't so sure about the girls. "We're going," he said firmly. "Come on."

"Leave me alone," Cam snapped, shrugging out of his grip. He strode out of the room on his own, but Hunter didn't have any illusions about him doing what he was told. He was running away from Hunter as much as anyone.

Hunter gave Shane a disgusted look before turning to follow. Cam probably _had_ started it, that was what bugged him--even if he hadn't thrown the first insult, he could have overreacted to something Shane said. And Shane, as annoying and self-righteous as Hunter sometimes found him, wasn't one to start a fight in a hospital. Fight, yes, in front of his friends, maybe, but in a hospital? No.

Cam, on the other hand, had just demonstrated his total inability to see the bigger picture. Hunter caught sight of him out in the hallway, turning the corner past the nurses' station as he headed for the elevator. Hunter didn't bother calling out to him, just jogged down the corridor and caught up right before he hit the down arrow set into the wall.

Cam didn't even look at him. The elevator doors opened, and they waited while its passengers got off. Cam pushed past him without a word, hitting the button for the first floor and staring resolutely at the wall while the elevator hummed to life. Very stoic, Hunter thought. Very martyr-like.

"Y'know," Hunter remarked. "When I told you to come to the hospital, I meant 'come to the hospital and visit Dustin,' not 'come to the hospital and piss off all of Dustin's friends.'"

"Your mistake," Cam told the wall. "Next time you'll have to be more specific."

"Cam." Hunter folded his arms and leaned back against the handrail in the elevator. "What the hell _was_ that?"

"It was me pissing off Dustin's friends," Cam snapped. "I thought we'd already established that."

The elevator dinged, signaling its arrival on the first floor, and there was a brief pause before the doors opened. Hunter figured that trying to talk to Cam before they'd left the hospital had been a mistake. Not that he really expected Cam to be any more communicative somewhere else, it was just that if he picked the right somewhere else then Cam wouldn't be able to keep walking away.

So he followed Cam outside and fell into step beside him on the sidewalk outside the building. Until he realized that Cam was heading for the bus stop, and that was where he drew the line. Geez. Cam really was overreacting. So he was having a bad day. It didn't make him an enemy of state.

"Cam, come on," Hunter said, exasperated. "I'll give you a ride. It's not that far."

"You just got here." Cam stopped by the empty bench, which was a good sign. Not that he'd stopped, but that the bus stop was deserted. Bus must have just been here. That gave Hunter a few minutes to convince him, at least, and he was probably going to need it.

"Yeah, and I just left," Hunter told him. "I dropped Kapri off, my work here is done. She can get a ride back with Marah."

Cam tilted his head and asked the street, "What makes you think I want to talk to you?"

"Who said anything about talking?" Hunter demanded. "You're not such hot conversation on a good day. I'm just trying to spare the other passengers your temper."

He thought he saw Cam's mouth quirk at that, and he pressed his advantage. "Look, it's almost rush hour. You get me into the carpool lane, I'll put up with your pissiness, and we'll call it even. Deal?"

Cam sighed, but it was a token protest and Hunter knew it. "Fine," he said, like he was the one making a concession. "It's a deal."

So he managed to get Cam into the truck, and he resisted the temptation to lock the doors once he was there. It was a good fifteen minutes back to the university, and that was assuming the carpool lane did its job. He had time. Even Cam wouldn't jump out of a moving vehicle to avoid a subject.

He waited until the truck was actually in motion to bring it up. "Charlie says you and Jules broke up."

He saw Cam stiffen out of the corner of his eye. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Hunter shrugged, refusing to come to a complete stop at the exit to the hospital parking lot just in case. "Figured you could tell me."

"Nothing," Cam snapped. "It doesn't matter. It's none of your business."

"Yeah, okay." Hunter put on his blinker and waited to turn. "So which is it?"

"Which is what?"

"Either it doesn't matter, or it's none of my business which means it does," Hunter said patiently. "So which is it? Who dumped who?"

"No one dumped anyone," Cam retorted. "It was a mutual decision."

"So you dumped him," Hunter guessed. "Okay. Kinda saw that coming. Not sure why you're so upset about it, though."

"I'm not upset about it," Cam gritted out. "We both agreed it was for the best."

"You thought it was a good idea and he didn't have any say in it," Hunter translated. "Doesn't surprise me. He's a good guy, but he's a little superficial next to you. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"I'm not!" Cam exclaimed. "Are you _listening_ to me?"

"Nope." Hunter glanced over his shoulder before he slid into the carpool lane. "Don't have to. I know what you're saying."

"Obviously you don't," Cam muttered.

Hunter shot a look in his direction. Cam had folded his arms across his chest and slumped against the back of his seat. He caught Hunter's eye and glared at him, but the force of it was dulled substantially by his sulky attitude.

"Shut up," Cam told him before he could comment. "You'd be a lot less annoying if you were wrong once in a while."

Hunter was careful not to smile as he fixed his gaze on the road and said nothing.

A few minutes later Cam sighed. "Drop me at the student building, would you? I missed lunch today and I'm starving."

"Sure. I'll come with you." He deliberately didn't ask first.

Cam didn't argue, and Hunter couldn't figure out whether that was a good thing or not. It was good for him, obviously, because it meant that he didn't have to spend the entire ride trying to psychoanalyze Cam. He could save some of it for dinner instead. But it was probably bad, as indicators of Cam's moods went, because Cam argued about everything lately. Easy agreement was a sign of apathy or illness, either of which was Not Good.

It only took him three tries to find a parking space once they got there, and they didn't have to walk more than five minutes from the place they parked to the student building. That was decent, even for this late in the afternoon. The building itself was crawling with people. It gave them a certain amount of anonymity, though, and Cam seemed more comfortable here than Hunter would have guessed.

They found a high table by the windows after making their way around the food court. The chairs were equally high and they spun all the way around, which Hunter thought was cool. He amused himself by spinning while Cam went back for napkins.

"What are you, five?" Cam asked, stepping up on the rungs to get into the opposite chair. "Did you have a Sit 'N Spin as a child?"

"Yeah, actually, I did." Hunter grinned at the memory. "You?"

"How else would I know what they were?" Cam asked dryly.

"Me and Blake used to try and sit on it at the same time," Hunter told him. "You know, one on each side? Worked better when we were little."

Cam arranged his plastic utensils around his plate as he remarked, "Most kids' toys do."

"We didn't really get that," Hunter said thoughtfully. "We just figured it broke or something. 'Course," he added, "when we tried standing on it, then it really did break."

"Was the name of the toy somehow lost on you?" Cam inquired, unfolding a napkin and putting it in his lap. "Sit. Sit 'N Spin. It wasn't the Stand 'N Spin."

"Fun though," Hunter declared. "They could have sold a Stand 'N Spin. Heck, they could sell one for adults."

Cam was giving him an odd look. "They could also charge people to stand in the middle of the food court and spin in circles until they fell down. Would you pay?"

Hunter considered that. "I dunno," he said at last. He smirked at Cam. "Let me go try it, and then I'll tell you."

"I'll never eat here with you again," Cam said calmly.

"Spoilsport." Hunter reached out and grabbed one of Cam's unused napkins. "Thanks, by the way."

"They weren't for you," Cam informed him.

Hunter grinned. "I know."

Cam ate his rice and beans in an annoyingly fastidious way, which Hunter made up for by consuming multiple slices of pizza like any normal person. He gave Cam about five minutes to enjoy his food before starting in with the hospital scene again. Which was to say, Hunter ate an entire slice of pizza to fortify himself for a round of Try To Interrogate Cam Without Getting Eviscerated By Sarcasm, and then he went for it before Cam could finish eating and have an excuse to leave.

"So is it Shane in particular that you can't stand now, or did he just say something really stupid right before I showed up?" Hunter wanted to know.

Cam let his fork clatter in a plastic sort of way against his tray--which, Hunter had to admit, made a more satisfying sound than dropping it on a paper plate. He reached for his drink without a word. He didn't tell Hunter he didn't want to talk about it, though, which could only be a positive sign.

"I don't remember," Cam said finally. "I don't even remember what he said."

"Okay," Hunter agreed. "So it was something he said."

"I don't have anything against Shane," Cam muttered.

"Sure, just like I don't have anything against your dad." The words were out before he knew what he was saying, but the frown Cam gave him made him continue uncomfortably. "Y'know. He didn't do anything to me, but he's associated with..."

There was no good way to finish that sentence. Hunter shrugged a little. "Bad things," he said at last. "Same with Shane for you."

To his relief, Cam didn't pick that apart. Instead he just mumbled, "Something like that," and focused on his food again.

"What set Marah off?" Hunter wanted to know. "Kapri reached new levels of squeakiness when she saw that."

Cam didn't look up. "I told her she didn't know anything about me."

Well, that didn't sound so bad, but who knew with girls. Especially Marah. And Kapri, for that matter. He was pretty sure that at least some of their hysterical displays were just to keep the attention off of whatever they were really doing, but he couldn't stand to be around either of them long enough to get past it.

"And I told her that someone who couldn't even take care of a puppy didn't have any business telling me what to do with my life," Cam admitted. He had picked up his fork again and was poking at his food guiltily.

Yeah. Okay, that would have done it.

"Dustin told me that was 'harsh'," Cam continued, and Hunter could practically hear the quote marks around the word. "Shane agreed with him. By then I didn't really want to hear anything else from either of them, and that was when you came in."

"Wow," Hunter said. "So in the space of a few minutes, you managed to pick a fight with everyone in the room? That's pretty impressive, even for you. How'd you keep them all straight?"

Cam glanced up at him, and Hunter just gave him an amused look. It wasn't like he cared. He'd fought with all of them at one time or another, and they'd forgiven him. Not exactly the end of the world, here.

"Marah was easy," Cam said at last. "She doesn't fight back."

Hunter chuckled. "Which is probably the only way you could get into a fight with Dustin these days," he pointed out. Or ever. "By making Marah cry."

"Dead butterflies make Marah cry," Cam grumbled. "I wasn't _trying_ to upset her."

No, and Hunter believed that, too. As far as he could tell, the others didn't really know what Cam had been going through. Not like it was their fault, since Cam wasn't the most sharing person on the planet, but still. He didn't think it would have taken much naive cutesy-ness to set Cam off, and naive cutesy-ness was Marah's middle name. Or her two middle names. Whatever.

"Next time," Hunter decided, "I'm calling ahead before I take Kapri anywhere. That was just like fuel to the fire."

"Where did Kapri come from?" Cam wanted to know, and if he was eager to change the subject then Hunter didn't blame him. Wouldn't stop him from taking advantage of an easy line like that, though.

"Where do you think she came from?" Hunter countered. He let go of his second slice of pizza with one hand to point straight up. "You're the one who told her she had to do something with that ship."

"I told her to get it out of orbit before the cloak failed," Cam corrected. "I was thinking somewhere on Earth, not somewhere..." He trailed off, waving vaguely with his fork.

"Yeah, well." Amused, Hunter added unnecessarily, "She's back."

"And she contacted you?" Cam looked a little skeptical, which was fair. Hunter hadn't quite believed it when he came back to his apartment building to find Kapri sitting on the steps outside.

"She knew where we lived," he told Cam. "Everyone else moved, except for me and Blake. Well, Blake too," he amended, "but we still have the apartment. I was the only one she could find."

"She could have--" Cam broke off, frowning. "She couldn't go to the academy," he realized. "They wouldn't let her onto the grounds."

"No ninja uniform," Hunter agreed. "Unless maybe she asked for Sensei, and he vouched for her or something."

"Assuming he was there at the time," Cam pointed out. "I didn't think about that. Guess it's a good thing you didn't move after all."

Hunter shrugged. Not this season, anyway. "Get me a switchboard and call me the alien yellow pages," he said flippantly.

Cam looked amused by that, but he didn't say anything. Hunter hadn't actually said it to be funny. He was really just trying to gloss over the whole not-moving thing, since it had been kind of a big deal for him last year and he'd thought a lot about it over the holidays. But that was when Blake had come home, and he had _called_ it home, and if he really thought of the place as "home" then Hunter couldn't bring himself to take that away from him.

He finished off the crust of his pizza and watched Cam poke at the remains of his dinner. He wasn't rushing to finish--in fact, he didn't look like he was planning to finish at all. Well, Hunter didn't have anything else to do tonight, and it beat hanging around the apartment, so he sat and watched Cam play with his food.

Finally, Cam sighed and pushed his plate away. "I have to get some work done tonight," he said, and maybe it was Hunter's imagination but he sounded kind of... reluctant.

"Have to," Hunter countered, "or just think you should?"

Cam rolled his eyes. "At this point, I've put it off long enough that it's pretty much the same thing. I'm going to head back to Forest Park."

"Suit yourself," Hunter said with a shrug. Must have been his imagination. "I'll drop you off on my way out, if you want."

Cam didn't answer, which Hunter figured was a yes. They cleared their trays, and Hunter frowned as they passed the trash and recycling area. "Hey, how come there's a dish return if they're using paper plates?"

"Hot water's out," Cam answered absently. "It's been off all day. They can't wash anything, hence the disposable dishes."

"How do you know stuff like that?" Hunter demanded.

Cam looked surprised. "People talk about it. I don't know. Campus rumor mill, I guess."

Hunter just shook his head. In his experience, having a large number of people in the same place tended to _decrease_ the accuracy of the information that got passed around. Apparently that wasn't true where Cam was involved.

He stopped just inside the front door. The movie poster on the bulletin board caught his attention, and he snapped his fingers at Cam. "Hey," he added, for good measure. "You see this?"

Cam glanced back at the poster. "The Last Samurai? What about it?"

"It sounds familiar," Hunter told him. "Didn't that movie come out already?"

"Last year," Cam said patiently. "Which is why the student building can show it now."

"You seen it?" Hunter wanted to know. He only remembered the title 'cause it reminded him of Cam. And, okay, Tom Cruise was decent looking, but that wasn't the point.

"How much free time do you think I have?" Cam asked. "I don't schedule in last year's movies just for the novelty value."

"Well, I think you should," Hunter decided. "You wanna go? This weekend, right? Friday at eight," he read off of the bulletin board. "Let's go. I want to see it."

Cam was giving him a weird look. "Why?"

Hunter shrugged. "Why not?"

"Because Forest Park is having a mixer that night," Cam said with a sigh. "And I promised my neighbor I'd show up."

"Okay, so Saturday night," Hunter suggested. "You have plans?"

Cam only hesitated a moment. "No..."

"Good." Hunter hooked his thumbs inside his pockets and headed for the door. "Saturday night at eight o'clock. I'll meet you here."

Cam didn't answer, but he followed Hunter out of the building without protest. When they pulled up outside of Cam's apartment building, Hunter flicked the locks up and down to get his attention. "Movie Saturday. Don't forget."

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Cam said, letting go of the passenger side door handle and resetting the lock manually. "Eight o'clock."

He climbed out of the car, then paused before closing the door. "Hunter. Thanks for... showing up at the hospital."

Hunter felt the corner of his mouth lift. "Sure. Always happy to show up."

Cam snorted, and he closed the door without another word. As he walked toward the stairs, though, he glanced back at Hunter's truck and waved briefly. Hunter flicked the headlights at him before putting the truck in gear and heading home.

When Tori called that night, he couldn't tell her much about how Dustin was doing. She got the scoop on everyone else, though, and for the first time she sounded worried about Cam. When she brought up maybe calling him to see how he was, Hunter told her she'd better not mention his name or Cam would never speak to him again.

He wasn't sure how true that was, but it made Tori laugh. She promised to express only a general concern when she talked to Cam. Maybe, she suggested, with a devious innocence he hadn't expected from her, she would say that it was Shane who thought Cam might want to talk to someone. Hunter almost felt guilty for laughing.

"You do that," he told her, "and you can just forget Cam and Shane ever talking to each other again."

"So basically what you're telling me," she teased, "is that no matter what I say to Cam he's going to end up shunning someone for life."

Hunter thought about it for a moment. "Yeah," he decided, "that's pretty much it. Maybe I should sneak into Cam's apartment and disconnect his phone before you can get to him."

He heard Tori giggle. "I would never," she promised solemnly, "betray a gossip source like that. If you say don't talk to Cam, I won't talk to Cam. As long as you keep me updated."

"I swear," he agreed in exaggerated fashion. "I will faithfully inform Tori of all serious developments in Blue Bay Harbor during her absence."

She laughed again. "I think I like you better gay," she said cheerfully. "It's good to see your talents being used for good instead of evil."

"Evil?" he repeated. He wasn't sure whether to be amused or privately offended by that comparison.

"Male repression," Tori replied. "You're too observant to be wasted on the testosterone crowd. Girls so get the better end of the deal with gay guys."

He really didn't have the slightest idea what she was talking about, but he decided it was funnier than it was obnoxious. "I want you to know that I'm not sure I'm being complimented," he told her, "so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt."

They kept talking for the better part of the next half hour, and it eventually occurred to him that Tori was right. He liked her better when he was gay, too. Weird. He wasn't really sure what to make of that, but he figured he'd done enough psychoanalysis for one night. He wasn't about to start in on himself.

The next day he heard from Jules, who left a depressed-sounding message on his voice mail, and from Blake, who said that Tori had told him stuff had blown up at the hospital and he wanted firsthand confirmation. He was also put on notice about spring trials. The Action Games would be in June this year, and training was being pushed up so they wouldn't lose time right before nationals.

Dustin was released from the hospital on Saturday. Hunter was busy the whole day, but he sent a balloon with Marah and was actually kind of proud of himself for remembering. He balanced whatever good karma he'd gotten from balloon-sending by almost being late to the movie with Cam, but he managed to get out of the track thing by seven-thirty and for a change even found parking right outside the student building.

All together, his luck got him into the lobby of the building at seven fifty-five. Cam was already there, of course, but he didn't have any snarky comments for Hunter's nick of time arrival. Instead he just handed over a ticket and waved off Hunter's attempts to give him money.

"Student discount," Cam told him. "It was two bucks. Don't worry about it."

"Sweet discount," Hunter remarked. "Do we get popcorn?"

Cam looked like it hadn't even occurred to him. "I don't think there is any. The coffee shop sells candy, though, if you want it."

"Yeah?" He hadn't gotten dinner. "Where's that?"

Right outside the theaters, as it turned out. The student building was huge. The "coffee shop," which didn't just sell candy but also cookies, snacks, and breakfast all day long, was surrounded by three different lounges and two movie theaters. And that was just one corner of a multi-story building that had its own food court. Hunter thought he knew where all that tuition money was going.

He bought some cereal and a couple of granola bars. Someone took their tickets at the door to the theater, but no effort was made to identify them otherwise. Plus he was allowed to walk in with food that hadn't cost twenty bucks, so it wouldn't take much more to convince him that this was the best theater ever.

It wasn't crowded. The seats were comfortable. The movie started right away.

Yeah, Hunter decided, stretching his legs out in front of him as he peeled his cereal cup open. Definitely the best theater ever. Who needed to see movies when they came out, anyway? He was going to boycott regular theaters in favor of the university's student building from now on.

The movie itself was fine. The sword work was surprisingly decent. When he glanced sideways at Cam to see how they were doing with the Japanese, he caught Cam actually watching the movie, which kind of impressed him. He'd mostly wanted to get Cam out of whatever routine he was in--and he knew Cam, there had to be a routine--but if Cam was going to enjoy himself then so much the better.

They didn't talk about it afterward, which was weird to Hunter since he and Blake usually tore movies apart as soon as they were finished, but whatever. He wasn't leaving without more food, so they got smoothies from the "coffee shop." As they were walking away it occurred to Hunter to ask if the place actually sold coffee. Cam assured him it did.

"Where'd you park?" Cam asked, as they wandered out of the building.

Straw in his mouth, Hunter pointed wordlessly at his truck.

"Ah." Cam looked at it for a moment, like he was debating whether or not to make some crack about his parking. Then he shrugged and said, "Well, I'll see you later then."

"You going back to your apartment?" Hunter wanted to know.

Cam just nodded, taking a sip of his smoothie. He made it look effortless, which was impossible if his was anywhere near as thick as Hunter's. But maybe he was used to the consistency. He sure hadn't hesitated over the flavor.

"Mind if I walk with you?" Hunter asked. He held up his smoothie by way of explanation. "Rather not drink and drive."

Cam smiled around his straw. "Sure," he said, taking it out of his mouth. "If we cut around behind the building, it's faster."

"Lead the way."

A few minutes later, Hunter couldn't resist. This was the _shortcut_. "Cam, you know this building is the size of a small town."

"More like a city block, actually." Cam's delivery was impeccable, and the building was just that big that Hunter gave him a suspicious look.

"You're kidding," he said. "Right?"

Cam smiled again.

Hunter shook his head. "Well, it _could_ be a city block," he declared. "Dunno what you need the rest of campus for. Just lock everyone in that building, and hey, you could seriously cut back on the number of campus police."

The walk to Cam's apartment was longer than it seemed by truck, even if he was pretty sure they didn't walk on a single street. They did _cross_ a street at one point, maybe even two, but mostly they followed walking trails across campus that didn't seem to be vehicle accessible in any way.

Moto bike could do it, Hunter thought. No problem.

It wasn't really warm enough out to be drinking smoothies. By the time they entered Forest Park, Hunter was thinking of the jacket he'd left in his truck. He wasn't about to mention it to Cam, but hey, it turned out that he wasn't the only one who could read minds when he tried.

"It's colder than it was when you got here," Cam offered, as they walked down the streetlit sidewalk. "Want a coat for the walk back?"

Hunter's lips quirked. "That obvious?" he asked ruefully.

Cam might have shaken his head. "Come on up," he said. He dug his keys out of his pocket as he led the way up to the second level. "Should have turned the light on before I left." The streetlights didn't reach under the portico that shaded the stairs.

He hit the outdoor and the indoor lights as he let them into his apartment, and Hunter blinked in the brightness. Cam tossed their empty smoothie cups before heading for the closet. He pushed the answering machine button as he passed, which Hunter thought was brave, since he personally wouldn't play his voice mail for just anyone.

The first message was from a student. The second was Hunter, telling him that he might be late, which made Hunter shrug. He'd tried. And he'd made it anyway, so it didn't really matter.

The third message was Jules.

Cam closed the closet door behind him, windbreaker over his arm. He was looking at the answering machine, but he made no effort to stop it from playing. So Hunter listened too.

"Hi babe!" Jules' cheeriness was a far cry from the message he'd left on Hunter's voice mail the day before, but moodiness was a defining character trait for him. "Just thought I'd call and see if I'm allowed to check in. If you don't call back, I'll take that as a no. A bien tot!"

Hunter glanced at Cam. He wasn't moving. His face was totally expressionless.

Hunter didn't have anything to say. He didn't like the silence, but he wasn't gonna make it any better by coming out with the wrong thing. So he just stood there and waited.

"He doesn't actually know French," Cam said abruptly. "Does he?"

"Uh..." Hunter had to think about it. "I'm not really sure. Never asked."

"Okay." Cam seemed to remember the windbreaker he was holding. He offered it to Hunter absently. "Stay warm."

Hunter almost smiled. It was such a--well, just not something he expected to hear Cam say. But Cam didn't look like he was paying any attention, so Hunter didn't point it out. He just said, "Thanks."

Cam only nodded, that same distant look on his face.

Hunter thought about that look for the rest of the night. On the way back to the truck he discovered that the windbreaker was lined, which was nice, and also that it felt really strange to have on something he'd seen Cam wear. He didn't know what that was. But it was a night for that, apparently, since no matter how much he thought about the look he didn't get any closer to figuring that out either.

The next day he was on the road, getting ready for the early version of spring trials. Unfortunately, they started the week of spring break, which meant that he didn't get to see nearly as much of Blake as he would have liked. But on the plus side, Blake ended up spending most of his break at the trials, so it wasn't a total loss.

When he finally got some time, he ditched training for a week and drove to AGU to see Blake on his own turf. It was fun in its own way, but it was kind of like having Blake at trials. This time it was Blake who had other stuff, and they had a good time but Hunter was left to amuse himself as often as not.

He called Cam the night before he left Angel Grove and got his answering machine. He spent a good thirty seconds comparing the campuses, especially the student buildings, and then rambled about the rest of the spring schedule for way too long. Last year he'd been able to commute, but motocross was a rootless sport and all the important stuff seemed to be further away this year.

All of it was really just a way to avoid telling Cam that he hoped everything was cool, because he knew how weird the winter had been for him and if there was any justice the spring was going better. He never found a way to say that, though. So he ended with, "Hope it's all good with you," and hung up.

He didn't get back to Blue Bay Harbor until the beginning of the season brought him through all the old home tracks. Summer vacation meant Blake and Tori were around again, so he hooked them up with whatever passes they wanted and tried to catch up with Dustin again. The guy was just as deep into his crazy hobby as he'd been before the accident, and they overlapped at the track a couple of times.

The only time Hunter really paid attention to freestyle was when it involved Dustin. Luckily, Dustin was as enthusiastic as ever and didn't seem to mind filling in the gaps. Seeing Dustin meant seeing Marah, of course, and one afternoon all five of them ended up at the track together. Hunter wasn't sure why that made him think of Cam, but suddenly he realized he hadn't heard from him since he'd been in town.

"Hey, Tori!" He flagged her down outside the Factory Blue trailer in between moto events. "You seen Cam lately?"

"Not since we got back from school," she said apologetically. "He doesn't hang out with us as much without you to drag him places."

"Yeah, thanks." He gave her a look that made her grin. "That's real flattering. I'll make sure to pass that on."

"Tell him I said hi," she called as he turned back to the trailer.

School was out. He hadn't thought about it until he was dialing Cam's number, and all of a sudden he wondered if it _was_ Cam's number now. Would Tori have remembered to say if he had moved for the summer? Or would she have just figured he knew?

Someone picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

He grinned in relief. "Cam! I wasn't sure you'd still be in Forest Park over the summer."

"Hi Hunter." Cam sounded like he was smiling. "I'm teaching summer classes while I work on my thesis. I hear Factory Blue's in the area for a while?"

"Yeah, here we are," Hunter agreed. "I've seen everyone but you and Shane. You avoiding the track, or what?"

"Just busy." The way he said it made it sound like it might actually be true. "Can I see you there this weekend? I don't have a schedule or anything."

"Not in Blue Bay Harbor, but we'll be at Killington Saturday afternoon. You wanna come out? I'll get you a pass."

"Can I get two?" Cam asked unexpectedly. "I have someone who might come with me."

"Oh?" Hunter was immediately intrigued. "Someone who?"

"A girl I've been seeing," Cam admitted. "Sage. You'll like her."

"Sage?" Hunter echoed. "That her name, or a description?"

"Both." Cam was being cute. He'd never thought he'd see the day. "I met her at Solar Fest. She's in conservation."

It took him a minute, but he got it. "She's a hippie."

"She's a hippie," Cam agreed, and Hunter raised his eyebrows. Really? They must make an interesting couple. Now he was curious.

"Two passes it is," Hunter told him. "What's her last name? I'll put you on the list."

"Sage Kianosavit," Cam answered. He spelled it without being asked. "I really do think you'll like her," he added.

I already do, Hunter thought, amused.

Cam was dating a hippie. He couldn't wait.

They met at the track that weekend, with less of a crowd than it could have been considering the weather. He'd have known Sage as soon as he saw her, even if she hadn't been goofing off with Cam at the time. Cam didn't get silly, as a general rule, but he was letting a girl with wild blonde hair chase him around a plastic table like being caught would be the best thing in the world.

Hunter shook his head. Now this was something he'd have paid money to get on tape, because wow. Cam was actually tickling someone. In public. This was _the_ Cam, right? Ninja Cam? Samurai Cam, who glared more than he laughed and thought that computers were better than human beings?

"Hi!" the girl with the wild hair shouted when she saw him watching. "Don't mind us! We're just having a little--disagreement!" She almost didn't get the last word out for laughing, and Hunter couldn't keep from grinning when Cam looked up.

"Hunter!" Cam tightened his arms around her when she tried to use the distraction to escape. "We saw you qualify! Congratulations!"

"Yeah, number eleven, right?" Sage squirmed free and ran for him, patchwork skirt flying and he had a fleeting impression of bare feet as she skidded in the wet grass and mud. She laughed as she kept her balance and spun around him, putting him between her and Cam. "Nice ride!"

"Thanks," he said, watching with amusement as Cam came to a halt in front of him and pretended not to pay attention to the girl behind him. "So you're Sage, huh?"

He was looking at Cam when he said it, but he heard her snort. "No," she declared, dancing away from him with a wary eye on Cam. "I'm just a random chick who likes to annoy the hell out of anyone wearing glasses."

Only then did he realize that she had Cam's glasses in her hand. Cam went for her just then and she took off across the grass. She was fast, especially barefoot and in a skirt, but she was no match for a guy like Cam. She shrieked with laughter as he tackled her without mercy, and Hunter winced as he came very close to sending her to the ground.

"I yield!" she shouted, doubling over and almost costing Cam his balance. "Help me! Save me! I'm being dominated!"

Hunter just stared as Cam wrested his glasses away from her and pulled her up, laughing at her protests. "I'll get you a cardboard sign," he promised. "Come on, Hunter's going to think we're both high."

"We are!" she exclaimed gleefully. "We're high on life!"

"And the pot brownies you snuck into the vendors' tent," Cam agreed, still holding her hand as he led her back toward Hunter. "I should know, I helped make them."

For some reason that made her snicker. She held out her free hand when they reached Hunter, giving him an angelic smile that was totally out of place in her expression. "Hi, I'm Sage. You must be Hunter Bradley."

He took her hand and shook it carefully, glancing back and forth between the two of them. "Yeah, that's right." You must be crazy, he wanted to say, but he restrained himself. "I hear you and Cam are..."

He only hesitated for a moment, but that was long enough for her to jump in. "Banging each other?" she suggested cheerfully. "Getting it on? Fucking like rabbits? Nope, sorry, try again! He does make really good brownies, though," she added as an afterthought.

Hunter raised his eyebrows at Cam. It wasn't the brownie remark--it was everything about her. She _did_ act high, which didn't bother him as much as the fact that he couldn't see what the hell she had in common with _Cam._ What the fuck, he asked silently?

Cam grinned like he knew exactly what Hunter was thinking. And damn, it was weird to see Cam smile so much. For that alone he guessed he would have to like Sage. If he ever figured out how to carry on a half-normal conversation in her presence.

"We're not always like this," Cam was saying.

"Yes we are!" Sage interrupted, then seemed unperturbed when he continued like she hadn't spoken.

"We just had a really good morning," he offered, by way of explanation.

"We watched cartoons," she agreed solemnly. "Did you know Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go is still on? Colored monkeys! I love that show!"

"You don't even know what it's about," Cam remarked.

"I love it in principle," Sage countered. "Just like turtles. I love turtles," she told Hunter.

"No she doesn't," Cam put in. "The turtles are new."

"They're not new!" she exclaimed. "Are you going to contradict everything I say?"

"Until you say something true?" Cam looked like he was thinking about it. "I probably will, yes."

Sage turned that innocent smile back on Hunter, and he was immediately on guard. "I got a research grant," she explained. "For the summer, so I can teach kids about turtles."

A research grant. Of course. She was with Cam, after all. "Cool," he said, when she seemed to expect some kind of reply.

Strangely, she turned to Cam and said, "Thank you."

Cam just smiled. "Close enough."

Hunter raised his eyebrows at him, but it was Sage who intercepted the look. "It's an environmental ed program," she told him. "I'm comparing humans to turtles because we carry the world on our backs. The turtles," she added as an aside to Cam, "are _not_ new."

"They're not new," he repeated obediently. "You're right, you've been teaching about turtles all semester. This newfound adoration of turtles, however, seems to have snuck up on you."

She considered that. "Well, maybe that's fair," she admitted after a moment. "I've been testing the turtle program on one of my lab groups this semester," she told Hunter. "They worked out some of the issues for me."

Ah. A scientist _and_ a teacher. Clearly able to carry on more than one conversation at once, and more with it than her initially high attitude had made her look. Interesting. He was starting to get what Cam saw in her after all.

He spent the rest of his free time with them, in between qualifying rounds, and they ended up hanging around all afternoon. When they finally left, the track had almost shut down for the night. Hunter stayed to pack up the rest of his stuff, but he too was on his way out when his phone rang.

It was Cam, he noted in surprise. He swung his backpack over one shoulder and flipped his phone open. "Yeah," he said. "What's up?"

"Just calling to see if you wanted to catch up sometime," Cam answered. Hunter had finally broken him of the habit of identifying himself every time he called, which saved time. "I don't know how long you're going to be around, but if you feel like hanging out..."

He trailed off, but Hunter heard the implied "without Sage" anyway. "That'd be cool," he told Cam. "I'm off Monday. You free then?"

"In the evening, after seven."

"Sounds good," Hunter answered. "Pizza?"

Cam surprised him by agreeing, and before he hung up Hunter told him, "You were right, by the way. Sage is pretty cool."

"Glad you think so." Cam sounded sincere about that, so Hunter figured it had been the right thing to say. "She's really... fun. Not so good with computers, but great at everything else."

"And fun," Hunter echoed, amused by the description.

"Fun," Cam agreed. "She's already a motocross convert. We'll have to catch another race at this rate."

"Just let me know," Hunter promised. "You got a schedule today, right?"

"We did. I think Sage has it, actually."

"Nice," Hunter said, grinning. She was his kind of girl. "I'll see you Monday, then."

He showed up at Cam's apartment on Monday with two pizzas, and he was surprised when a cat darted out from under the stairs and followed him up. "Hey, kitty," he greeted it. It put its tail up and trotted over to him at the sound of his voice, so he set the boxes down and offered his hand.

The cat rubbed against his fingers happily, and it was purring when the doorknob turned and Cam stuck his head out. "Hi," he said. The cat immediately detached itself from Hunter and darted inside.

Hunter raised his eyebrows as he stood up. "Hi," he replied, surprised. "Your cat?"

"No," Cam said with a sigh. He stepped back and held the door open so Hunter could enter. "Someone must have left her when they moved out last month. I put some food out for her, and now she thinks she lives here."

The cat was curled up on the couch like it had been there all day. There was a little stuffed mouse peeking out from between two of the cushions, and Hunter gave Cam a knowing look. "She _thinks_ she lives here?"

"She was sleeping on the stairs," Cam said defensively. "I felt sorry for her, okay?"

"Uh huh," Hunter agreed, setting the pizza boxes down on the counter and opening drawers in search of something to cut with. "You take her to the vet?"

"She's not feral. I'm sure she's had her shots."

Hunter found a knife and opened the first box. "What's her name?"

He heard Cam hesitate. "How should I know?" he asked at last.

Hunter grinned, extracting a piece of pizza and turning around to enjoy Cam's discomfort. "What do _you_ call her?"

Cam frowned at him. "Would it kill you to use a plate?"

Hunter wasn't fooled. "You named the cat, didn't you. The great Samurai Ranger is now the servant of his cute little kitty master."

Cam pulled two plates out of a cupboard and handed one to him. "Just for that," he informed Hunter, "I'm not telling you her name."

Hunter smirked. "I knew it. She's probably got a personalized food bowl around here somewhere."

Cam didn't answer, but Hunter figured the comment was just below him. He didn't suspect it was actually true until he found the food bowl, along with a very elegant water bowl, sitting next to the sink in the bathroom. _Heather,_ the food bowl read.

"Heather?" Hunter repeated, emerging from the bathroom and throwing himself down on the floor next to the couch. "The cat's name is Heather?"

Cam picked up the remote and pointed it at the TV without answering. The movie started again, and Hunter figured that was all the answer he needed. "So, what," he asked a moment later, "you thought having one green plant-like girl in your life wasn't enough?"

"I didn't name my cat after my girlfriend," Cam said, without looking away from the screen.

"I didn't say you did," Hunter countered. "I just noticed a certain theme."

"Leave patterns to the programmers," Cam advised. "I just happen to like the name Heather. That's all."

Hunter tried to watch the movie, but he couldn't do it. "Can I ask you about Sage?" he wanted to know.

Cam stopped the movie again without being told, and without looking too impatient about it either. This was the fourth time they'd turned it off for one reason or another. The two-hour movie had become three and a half, and they probably weren't much more than halfway through. "Go ahead," was all Cam said.

Hunter hesitated. "Well, you... y'know. You seem to really like her."

Cam shifted a little, so he was leaning up against the arm of the couch. "That would explain why we've been going out for three months," he said thoughtfully. "I think you might be on to something there."

Hunter frowned, ignoring his sarcasm for once. "So, since March?"

Cam nodded. "Just before spring break."

Which was in the middle of the month, Hunter was pretty sure. And he had broken up with Jules at the end of February. "Not that it's any of my business," he said slowly, and then he stopped. It really wasn't any of his business, was it?

"That never stopped you before," Cam observed.

"Jules," Hunter said, before he could talk himself out of it. "What was Jules? An experiment? Mistake? Random period of rebellion?"

Cam didn't answer right away. He didn't bite Hunter's head off, either, which seemed like a good sign. He did reach out and pull the stuffed mouse out of the couch cushions, straightening its tail before eyeing it critically and then tweaking the tail in the other direction. Because it was important that a cat's stuffed mouse had a perfectly straight tail.

"I know how it goes," Hunter said at last. "I mean, I went out with this girl Melissa for like, three weeks after the whole thing with Lothor. It's just..."

"I remember Melissa," Cam interrupted. "Charlie was a huge improvement, believe me."

Hunter frowned at him in surprise. "You barely even met Melissa."

"I avoided Melissa," Cam corrected. "Some people just shouldn't be ninjas."

Hunter folded his arms, considering this information. Cam had gone to ground as soon as the academies were restored, but Hunter had figured he was busy with tech stuff in Ninja Ops. The idea that maybe it was only him who hadn't seen Cam was... strange.

"Jules was different," Cam said quietly.

Hunter looked over at him. "Different?"

"Different from Melissa," Cam elaborated. "I think. I don't know--why did you go out with Melissa?"

Hunter shrugged uncomfortably. Because it had seemed like a good idea at the time. "I don't know," he muttered.

"I went out with Jules because I needed someone I couldn't hurt," Cam told him. "I was pretty angry then. And lonely." A half smile lightened his face a little. "Bad combination."

It was weird to hear Cam say that. Not that it didn't seem true, but it just... didn't seem like something he would say. "Did you stay in touch with him?" Hunter blurted out. He wasn't sure why it mattered, but Jules had never said one way or the other. "Afterward?"

It was Cam's turn to shrug. "We talked a couple of times. Not lately."

"So..." He didn't know how to ask. "Not an experiment, then?"

Cam was silent for a moment. "Maybe," he said slowly. "Maybe a little."

He didn't volunteer anything else, but for some reason Hunter really wanted to know. "Would you go out with a guy again?" he insisted. "Or was it just, y'know--a one-time thing?"

Cam gave him an odd look, and Hunter knew he'd pushed too hard. Still, all Cam said was, "I'm with Sage now."

He knew a "back off" vibe when he heard it. "That's cool," he agreed, trying to shrug it off. "Just curious."

Cam seemed to accept that, and a moment later he picked up the remote again and restarted the movie. With no more interruptions--maybe they were both too tired--they finished it just after midnight. Some kind of record, Hunter thought, for a hundred-twenty minute movie they'd started at seven-thirty.

They turned the lights back on, split the leftover pizza, and managed to not step on the cat, who seemed to consider the kitchen sink her personal patrol zone. "Thinks" she lives here, Hunter thought. Yeah. Or she thinks she's just moved into her new apartment and has decided to let Cam to stay on as can opener and stuffed mouse buyer.

"There's a summer student social tomorrow night in the student building," Cam was saying, paying no attention to the extremely entitled attitude of his cat. "Sage and I were thinking about going after dinner. If you want to stop by, there's usually food and music and free stuff."

Hunter propped the door open with his pizza box, a little surprised by the offer. "I'm not a student," he reminded Cam.

"Neither are we," Cam countered. "It doesn't matter. They're trying to encourage more people to show up."

He was pretty sure that Cam, at least, still counted as a student. But if he said it didn't matter, then it probably didn't matter. He didn't really care about the party, but he wouldn't mind seeing Cam again and Sage was actually fairly entertaining. It would get him away from the moto crowd for a while--the season was just beginning and they were already starting to get on each other's nerves.

"Okay, yeah," he said at last. "Sure. Be nice to get a break from the team," he admitted ruefully. "Can I meet you somewhere?"

"Stop by the apartment, if you want," Cam invited. "We should be back here by eight or eight-thirty."

He was done by four the next day. He hid out at the apartment for a while, wondering where Blake was and trying to decide if he would be more or less bored with the TV on. He really should head down to Storm Chargers, thank Kelly for everything she was doing with the track--but that would totally ruin his effort to take time off from moto, so he didn't. Instead he fixed one of their fans, the one that took too long to start and always made too much noise once it did, and then amused himself by coloring in the blades with ninja symbols.

He made sure not to get to Forest Park before eight-thirty, since he really didn't want to wait around outside. But the lights were on when he showed up, and Sage answered the door when he knocked. "Hi Hunter," she said cheerfully. "Want to see something cool?"

She left the door open and went back into the apartment without waiting for an answer. He followed, looking around for Cam as he did so. Instead he found sheets of cloth, racks blocking the entire living room space and most of the kitchen. Cam was nowhere to be seen.

"Check this out," Sage called, from somewhere near the kitchen sink. She ducked down, disappearing briefly behind one of the racks. There was a jingling sound, a bump, more jingling, and then a little flashing rubber ball rolled around the kitchen island and started toward him.

He saw Sage appear in front of the sink again, watching the ball. It would stop randomly and start again, occasionally changing direction and jingling the whole way. Just as Hunter was about to ask what the hell it was, a mad scrabbling sound made him look around in alarm.

A crazed cat-like blur shot out from beneath one of the cloth-covered racks and attacked the ball with more momentum than finesse. Heather skidded so badly on the floor that she tumbled over the ball and kicked it in the opposite direction as she sailed by. Her hind legs spun out of control behind her as she desperately fought for traction with her front paws, eventually reversing course through sheer determination.

"Wow," Hunter said, watching her leap on the ball from behind just as it paused and tried to roll the other way. The pause was just long enough for her to cover it completely with her body and roll over on her back, trying to shred the ball between her hind legs. It bounced free and jingled away, prompting another spastic lunge on the part of the cat.

"I don't know whether that's funny or disturbing," Hunter remarked, unable to take his eyes off of the cat. "What did that thing ever do to her?"

"Cam put some of his brownie mix in it." Sage was leaning on the island, chin propped on her hand as she watched Heather crash into one of the racks and flip out as the ball escaped yet again. "Never underestimate the power of pot."

"Is that your new slogan?" Cam's voice called. The bedroom door was cracked open, and Hunter could just barely see motion through it when he glanced in that direction. "You could have bumper stickers made up."

"I'm pretty sure that anything that makes the police _more_ likely to pull you over isn't something you want on your vehicle," Sage called back. "Especially if it's true," she added, grinning at Hunter.

He had never actually smoked marijuana, but that didn't stop him from advising her to share. The cops in Blue Bay Harbor needed to relax. That made Sage laugh, and Cam protested from the bedroom that he could go downstairs if he wanted to be surrounded by druggies, thank you very much.

"Speaking of," Sage whispered loudly, tilting her head toward the bedroom door.

The image of Cam with a joint was borderline heresy. Hunter could only shake his head. "Can't see it," he murmured back. "He'd do shots first."

That made her giggle. "He's halfway there!"

The bedroom door opened, and Cam was pulling a t-shirt on over his head as he emerged. "I'm not sure I want to know what you're talking about," he told them. He gave them a suspicious look as he ran a hand through his hair.

"We'll make it easy for you and not tell you," Sage assured him. "Did you hide my sandals again?"

"Did you leave them here again?" he countered. "I haven't seen them. Maybe they're under the couch.

"Hey, Hunter," Cam added, smiling in his direction. "Has Sage killed my cat with her psychedelic cat toys yet?"

"Looked pretty alive last I saw," Hunter said, shaking his head. "What _is_ that thing?"

"Sweet!" Sage crowed, standing up beside the couch and holding something up in triumph. "The virtues of dating a Virgo. You have someone to organize your life when you're too busy."

Hunter raised his eyebrows, giving Cam a look. "You can blame that on astrology?"

"Careful," Cam said with a sigh. "Tell her your birthday and she'll start mocking you too."

"When is it?" Sage wanted to know. She swooped in to steal Heather's toy when it got away from her, coming very close to getting her fingers slashed off by accident. Heather got a clawful of skirt instead. "Wait, let me guess."

She studied him for a moment. "August," she said at last. "You're a Leo."

He chuckled. "My bro was born in August," he told her. "My birthday was last weekend."

"That was going to be my next guess." She did something to the toy that made it stop flashing and twitching, then stuffed it into a drawer. It was hard to tell whether she was kidding or not. "Gemini, huh?"

"I thought I wasn't supposed to like Geminis," Cam protested.

"You should be total opposites," Sage agreed cheerfully. She looked from one to the other with a shrug. "On the plus side, you probably complement each other when you're not driving each other totally insane."

Hunter snorted. He was pretty sure he didn't have anything Cam needed. The insane part was probably true, though. When they were around each other long enough.

"Ah, you scoff," Sage teased. "But you're spontaneous, right? Friendly, think fast, like to travel. Cam's organized. Plans everything, very logical, helpful to a fault."

"Martyr complex," Hunter said without thinking.

They both looked at him in surprise.

"You know," he said, shifting uncomfortably. "The helping thing. Never mind," he added, when Cam frowned at him.

"You don't get it, right?" Sage was wearing an odd smile. "You help people if they catch your attention, then forget about it later. Cam carries a running tally of debts and favors in his mind all the time."

"As interesting as this is," Cam interrupted, and he looked almost as uncomfortable as Hunter felt, "maybe we could go before the crystal balls and tarot cards come out. Heather acts possessed enough already without giving her any ideas."

Sage just laughed, grabbing a mouse from the floor and tossing it in Heather's direction. The cat just lay there on the floor, looking at her. "Don't worry," she told Cam. "She's spoiled for anything but blinking rubber balls now."

"How reassuring," Cam said dryly.

And that was the end of the astrology discussion. They went to the student social, which actually turned out to be a lot more fun than Hunter had expected, and they stayed for hours. There was live music and a lot of people, but the real draw turned out to be the fair-like activities. College students knew how to throw a party, Hunter decided.

There was free cotton candy and shaved ice and sand art. There were balloon animals and balloon swords, with which he and Cam totally failed to spar believably. There were black and white polaroids that were made into buttons or keychains on the spot, and they ended up with every possible combination of the three of them.

There was also a mural. People had been contributing to it all night, mostly with brushes but sometimes by fingerpainting and that must have been what gave Sage her brilliant idea. She grabbed a bunch of wet paper towels and set them down at one end of the mural, then walked to the other end and took off her sandals. "Help," she demanded, laughing as she tried to balance on one foot.

Hunter ended up holding the paint, and Cam held onto her shoulder while Sage smeared blue paint on the bottom of her foot. "Okay, now green," she told Hunter. She put her painted foot down on the mural and lifted her other foot to paint it green. Then she walked down the paper.

It did look kind of cool, Hunter decided, in a totally chaotic way. She picked up other colors as she went from the paintings that people had done before, and her feet were mottled by the time she reached the end. The paper towels weren't quite enough, but she didn't seem to mind getting paint on her sandals. Cam convinced the polaroid people to take a picture of her footprints on the mural for him, and Sage opened up her sand art bottle to sprinkle some of the colored sand in the wet paint.

Maintenance was just going to love that, Hunter thought. The girl had no shame. He liked that.

They left when he got too hungry for just cotton candy and colored ice. He hadn't actually expected Cam and Sage to come with him, but they did, and they ended up hanging out in a coffee shop downtown until it closed at one. They did split up then, though not before Sage told him he was way more fun than most of Cam's friends.

"Yeah, well," he said, giving Cam a sideways look. "Same to you."

Cam rolled his eyes, but he didn't look particularly upset. "Stop by whenever you're free," he told Hunter. "I don't want to deprive either of you of your favorite friends."

Hunter smirked, and he saw Sage wink at him. "I'll see you around, then."

He did, too. The team didn't leave the Blue Bay area for three weeks, and he spent a lot of the time with Cam and Sage. Blake eventually accused him of trying to steal Cam's girlfriend, unlikely as that seemed, and he continued to make vague threats about actually meeting her right up until Factory Blue moved on. The timing was never quite right, though, or schedules never quite meshed... whatever it was, Hunter remained the only one who could pick Cam's girl out of a crowd for quite a while.

In July, he came home from nationals to find a letter waiting for him on the counter. "Cam dropped it off before he left," Blake explained. "Just a couple days ago, so I figured you'd get it faster if I kept it instead of forwarding it."

"He left?" Hunter repeated, tearing the envelope open. There was something in it. Something other than paper. "Where did he go?"

Blake shrugged. "I dunno. Some research thing, I guess. He left you a key, too--something about a cat?"

There was a key in the envelope, along with a two-page letter. It was weird, he thought, studying the careful handwriting. He'd never seen Cam write out more than a telephone message before. By hand, at least.

"Yeah, cat," he agreed absently, skimming the letter. "He has this cat named Heather. He's totally paranoid about her... he says the neighbor's feeding her, but he wants me to check on her if I have time." That was what the apartment key was for, he assumed.

"So?" Blake prompted. "Where'd he go?"

"Sage is taking her students on some kind of hiking trip." He flipped to the second page. "Cam went with them. They'll be back... next week, I guess." After he was gone again.

"His girlfriend, right?" Blake asked. "They serious?"

Hunter shrugged. "Well, you know how much Cam likes camping."

Blake snorted. "Good point. So, probably engaged by now... hey, what was with that whole guy thing at New Years?" he wanted to know. "Is he over that now or what?"

Hunter shrugged again, contemplating Cam's signature. The word "engaged" sounded strangely ominous, even if Blake was joking. "I guess. He didn't say."

It was the letter that made him realize how much time was passing. Or he told himself it was the letter. It was probably a combination of the letter, the key, and coming home to find Cam gone without warning. It wasn't like they didn't have phones. Why didn't he ever talk to Cam while he was on the road?

So the next week, the day after Cam had said they would be back, he called Cam's apartment from a motel just outside Sacramento. He told him Heather had been fine when he saw her. He asked him how the hiking trip had been, and he got some pretty good stories in response. He said he still had Cam's key, and he'd return it the next time they saw each other.

Keep it, Cam told him. It made him feel better to know that someone else could check on Heather if something happened. He didn't mention the impracticality of that someone being a motocross rider who was rarely around, so Hunter didn't bring it up. He'd be home more in the winter, anyway.

They talked a few more times as the weeks passed. Once Sage was there when he called, and she and Hunter traded Cam stories while the subject of those stories pretended to fume in the background. Cam was very good at pretending to be offended.

He got local time off again in August. It was just before Blake and Tori moved back to Angel Grove for the fall, and he was mildly surprised to find that the moving process didn't get seem to get easier with time. They'd done it twice before. He'd have thought they had it down by now.

They didn't, and he found it was better to give Blake space than it was to try to help. So for the second time, he found himself spending more time with Cam and Sage than anyone else in Blue Bay Harbor. If it had been a little weird the first time, it was just a relief now. They were as comfortable as they had been before, and he found they were as easy to pal around with as the guys on his team.

Not quite the same, he reflected wryly, lying on the floor of Cam's air-conditioned apartment and listening to Sage sing hippie songs one afternoon... but easy.

"We'll be closing down munitions plants and Old Glory will be furled," Sage sang softly. She, too, was lying on the floor, her head on Cam's lap as he leaned back against the sofa. He thought it must take some kind of talent to sing like that. "Cause we don't want your big machines, we just want the world..."

The weather outside was ridiculously hot. Not just hot, but muggy, which was slowing everyone down. At least it had come at a good time for the campus: just after the last summer session finished, and just before the students arrived for the fall. Sage had finished her research project, and Cam had a three-week break from teaching. No classes, little work, and a sense of laziness that was almost like being a kid again.

Hunter thought it was funny that he could get that from the two of them, like it was contagious or something. It wasn't, he was pretty sure. But it felt good anyway.

"A bill will be proposed... section number one?" Sage, he knew from previous experience, had a strong voice that went with her solid earth mother image. But it was gentle and breathy this afternoon, like it was too much trouble to draw in that much air. "We'll be shutting down the oil rigs and turning toward the sun..."

Even Heather was lazing around inside this afternoon. The cat was sprawled out on the tile where it was coolest, ignoring all attempts to entice her to play. She would open her eyes a slit, give them a "you've got to be kidding me" look, and then resume her dead possum impression.

"Face the executioner and shut the logging camps all down... get busy planting hemp and leave the trees there in the ground..."

Where did she get these songs, Hunter wondered idly? Were there hippie rallies where they taught special activist songs? The idea made him smile, not least because he really thought it might be true. He suspected that if he thought about it long enough, he might remember Sage saying something about just such a rally.

"We'll be closing down the jails," she added, "fixing up the schools, distributing those stocks and bonds and changing all the rules... We'll elect a CEO--maybe a rabbit or a squirrel..."

It took him a moment, but the words registered at last and Hunter's gaze flicked toward her in amusement. It was a good day to listen to something totally crazy. It felt like the whole world might possibly have stopped, and if hers was the only voice left, well... maybe it was true.

"Cause we don't want your money," Sage sang quietly. "We just want the world."

It did surprise him when Cam joined in. Hunter folded his arms behind his head and watched them, singing together in a cutesy, not-very-well-harmonized way. He'd never heard Cam sing before. His pitch was actually pretty good.

"We'll be swimming in the rivers and running to the hills," and if Sage's voice went up when she wasn't trying, Cam's went down, "reading in the history books of wars and oil spills..."

Cam's hand dropped to her hair, and he twisted a strand around his finger casually. "If it's linear we'll bend it, if it's a straight line it'll curl," and Cam was smiling down at her. They weren't trying to harmonize, Hunter realized. They were both singing the melody in different octaves and not-quite-the-same key signatures.

"Cause we don't want your dead-end highway," Sage's voice dropped as soon as he noticed, and now they were in the same key and exactly an octave apart. "We just want the world."

In the easy silence that followed, Hunter had to smile. "Nice," he said, staring up at the ceiling again. "Very green."

"David Rovics does good stuff," Sage said, and he assumed she meant the songwriter.

"You ever play the guitar these days?" Hunter asked. He didn't bother to catch Cam's eye, figuring Cam would know he was talking to him.

"Sometimes." There was a pause, and then he added, "Sometimes I play outside, when it's cooler. There aren't as many people around in the summer, and no one seems to mind."

"They probably love it," Sage murmured. "Live music right outside your window. I'd pay for the privilege."

"What do you play?" Hunter wanted to know. "Anything in particular?"

"Whatever's on the radio," Cam answered. "I don't have that much sheet music, and I don't like carrying it around with me."

That surprised him. He knew Cam wasn't the classical type, but he'd figured him for more of an improv act. "Anything we'd know?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, play for us," Sage prodded gently. "We like guitar music even more than your neighbors."

Cam didn't move. "Probably not as appreciative an audience as my cat, though."

Hunter could hear Sage smiling when she spoke. "Wanna bet?"

Cam chuckled a little. "No, maybe not."

Sage moved so that he could get up, and he came back with his guitar a moment later. Hunter listened to him tune it, idly counting the number of tries each string took. Pretty good. He must be using it more often than he admitted.

Cam strummed a few chords, just making noise as far as Hunter could tell, but it did sound nice. Then he started picking something out, note by note, and all of a sudden there was a melody. Hunter listened, a little surprised, and he heard Sage laugh.

"Don't start easy," she teased.

Cam slipped back into the chord progression and Sage murmured, "Days go by, I can feel them flying like a hand out the window in the wind as the cars go by..."

Hunter blinked. He knew this song. He didn't know it until Sage supplied the words, but he'd heard it--well, on the radio. The guys kept it tuned mostly to country stations while they were on the road, and he had definitely heard this before.

"It's all we've been given--" Sage broke off, laughing again. "Sorry. Too fast?"

"By half," Cam agreed dryly. "Start at the beginning and you'll see."

He started picking out the melody again, and Sage caught up easily. "I'm changing lanes... I'm talking on the phone... I'm driving way too fast..." She paused between each phrase, and Hunter could come up with the next lyrics before she even sang them.

He spoke up as they came to them, speaking as Sage sang. "The interstate's jammed with gunners like me--afraid of coming in last. But somewhere in the race we run, we're coming undone..."

Cam didn't say anything, just slid into the chorus again and Hunter stopped. Sage stopped when he did, and Cam let the sound trail off. "You know Keith Urban," Sage said with a smile. She turned a slightly inquisitive look in his direction, as though inviting him to say more.

Hunter just shrugged. "We listen at the track a lot. Charlie likes Trace Adkins."

"Ain't no thinking thing," Sage said promptly. "Right brain, left brain, it goes a little deeper than that--" She broke off and this time it was definitely a question. "Do you sing?"

He shook his head, but Cam spoke for him. "You do... or you used to. Do you and Blake still rap?"

"Nah." He and Charlie sometimes competed to see who could get the most lyrics to whatever song was on at the time, but it was more about each of them yelling louder than the other than it was about musical talent. Blake hadn't had time for that stuff for a while now.

"Oh, oh--" Sage was snapping her fingers. "Trace Adkins, that white t-shirt song, what is it? Like country rap! Do you know it?"

Cam cleared his throat. "You probably shouldn't use country and rap in the same sentence," he offered, sounding a little bit too careful. "I don't think Hunter would appreciate the distortion of his genre."

He did know that song, actually. "Rough And Ready," he told Sage. "White t-shirt, ain't afraid to work, got a 'what are you looking at pretty boy' smirk--"

"Earnhardt racing sticker on the window, banged up fender, four by four..." She trailed off. "Something, something, something."

"Straight pipe roar, primer and rust all over the door," he said with a grin. Charlie loved that song. "Scarred up knuckles, Mack belt buckles--"

She'd jumped back to the middle of the first verse, but she had obviously figured out where they were by now because she joined in again. "White t-shirt, ain't afraid to work, got a 'what are you looking at pretty boy' smirk!"

"Cold beer, hot wings, Wranglers, Skoal rings," Hunter continued when she stopped. "Get just what you see: gun rack, ball cap, don't take no crap, ain't a pretty boy toy, I'll rock you steady, rough and ready."

She grinned, waving both hands to encourage him. "Keep going! I love it!"

"You love a lot of things," Hunter told her, amused.

"Isn't it great?" she responded without missing a beat. "Come on, I know some of the second verse! I think..."

"Work boots," Hunter obliged, prompting her. "One blue suit--"

And she jumped in there, barely keeping up as the words came to him. "Size too small, don't wear it at all, unless somebody kicks, gets hitched, it don't fit and makes me itch--" She was laughing at the same time, which slowed her down, so Hunter smirked at her and recited even faster.

"Up with the sun, off on the run, making money money 'cause I want to have fun, got a hot date, girl named Kate, thinks I'm cool 'cause I shoot straight, ain't one thing about her fake..."

Finally Sage caught up with him, exclaiming triumphantly, "She's long and tall and she goes great with cold beer, hot wings--" She faded out on the chorus, but she made up for it by clapping for him while he finished.

"You are who you are, and that's all right with me, but I am who I am and that's all I can be," he said, with a flourish that the original singer probably wouldn't have appreciated. Sage whooped, and he caught Cam giving him an odd look.

"I stand corrected," was all Cam said, and suddenly Hunter was self-conscious.

"It's just, y'know." He subsided a little, giving Sage a half-smile before shrugging at Cam. "You pick it up after a while. We have the radio playing basically non-stop all day."

"I do know," Cam agreed unexpectedly. "Sage does the same thing."

She seemed to know what he was talking about, and it didn't bother her. "I like to leave the radio on," she offered by way of explanation. "Makes me feel connected to the world."

"Sometimes that's good and sometimes it's bad," Cam murmured.

Sage only nodded in agreement.

"Play," Hunter told Cam, silently apologizing for jumping into the middle of his guitar moment. "I'd rather hear you than me."

Cam gave him another odd look, something that Hunter couldn't at all interpret. "I'd rather hear all of us," he said, strumming the guitar carefully. "What do you know?"

Hunter folded his arms, leaning back against the bottom of a chair now as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "Pretty much everything," he admitted. "But I'm not singing, so forget it."

"You should," Cam told his guitar. "You have a good voice."

Sage agreed immediately, which almost distracted him from the fact that Cam had just complimented him. "You do, you sound really good. Do you do much public speaking? You have good rhythm."

Hunter just shrugged again, a little embarrassed. "That's the rapping, I guess."

"It doesn't really do your voice justice," Cam said, still bent over his guitar.

He looked at Cam in surprise.

"Do you know 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia'?" Sage asked suddenly. "Cam?"

Cam shook his head. "I can fake the beginning," he said. "That's about it."

"Well, I can fake the words, so that works out," she said with a grin. "Hunter?"

He felt the corner of his mouth curl upward involuntarily. "Everyone knows that song."

"Prove it," she challenged. She looked over at Cam, and he gestured for her to go. "The devil went down to Georgia--"

"He was looking for a soul to steal," Hunter added. "He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind, so he was willing to make a deal."

Cam didn't jump in, and Hunter glanced over at him. He just shook his head, smiling a little. "You're on your own," he informed them. "There's no way I'm going to keep up with you."

Hunter caught Sage's eye, and she winked at him. "He came across a young man pickin' on a guitar and playing it hot," she declared, smirking in Cam's direction. "The devil jumped up on a hickory stump--" She paused and waved at Hunter. "Help me!"

"Said 'boy let me tell you what,'" Hunter put in. "I bet you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too, and if you'd care to take a dare I'll make a bet with you."

"I'm not making bets with either of you," Cam informed them, letting his guitar rest against his chest as he braced his hands behind him and leaned back. "Just forget that idea."

Sage pointed at Hunter and grinned. "You play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the devil his due: I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul 'cause I think I'm better than you!"

Hunter pointed a finger at himself with mock-surprise. "Me?" he demanded. "Bring it on," he told Sage, with pretended seriousness. Then he added, "I'll take your bet and you're gonna regret, 'cause I'm the best that's ever been!"

Cam surprised them both by jumping in to sing the chorus for them. Hunter beat Sage to the second verse, and she retaliated by shouting Johnny's words louder than he could. Cam rolled his eyes, but he sang the second chorus, and Hunter did most of the last verse alone. Probably on purpose, since Sage knew Johnny's lines perfectly well. He did the radio version--she did the unedited one.

She made up for it by conceding afterward, "I have enthusiasm but you're actually good at that, Hunter. You must have performed before?"

He caught Cam's eye and they shared a fleeting look. "Only once, since high school."

"You should think about doing it again," Sage advised, either missing the look or dismissing it. "If you're into that kind of thing."

He wasn't, not really. But they got onto some other subject and the idea disappeared for a while. The next day they went to the pool instead of hanging around the apartment. The day after that they went to see The Fantastic Four in the coldest movie theater they could find, and the day after that the heat wave finally broke. Hunter headed out again that weekend.

He didn't see Cam and Sage again until the season ended, but he made a point to stay in touch this time. He didn't want to come home for the winter and find one or both of them off on some crazy trip or research expedition or whatever without notice. If the summer proved that it was possible, then the fall proved that he could keep it from happening. Phones, it turned out, really were good for something other than finding people and setting up meetings.

He did get out to visit Blake once, but only for a day and his bro was at the top of his list by the time he came home for the winter. He really was--it was just that, since he was in Blue Bay Harbor anyway, it didn't slow him down any to check in with Cam before he left again. It had been a while.

He called, Cam picked up, and it was like it was summer again. Except that they hadn't really spent that much of the summer together, it just felt like they had because when they'd seen each other they'd seen each other for days at a time. But Cam was just the same, and Sage was as odd as ever, and they all had sandwiches from some new snack cart near Forest Park that stayed open late.

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, it was probably natural that conversation turned to their plans for the holidays. Hunter mentioned that he was planning to go see Blake, maybe hang around and drive back with him when he got out of school, and Sage surprised him by telling him to take Cam with him. She didn't look like she was joking, but with her it was always hard to tell.

"I'm perfectly capable of occupying myself for three days," Cam informed her. "I do have an internet connection, remember?"

"You're capable of it," Sage agreed. "But I'm probably not. If you're here, I'll be at your apartment instead of mine and I'll accomplish anywhere from zero to fifteen percent of the work that I need to accomplish."

"So you're trying to punish me for your lack of self-discipline?" Cam protested

"Sounds that way," she said cheerfully. "So what do you say, Hunter? Want to take the boy off my hands for a few days?"

"I thought you two were..." He waved his crumpled napkin back and forth between them. "Y'know, spending the holidays together."

"He's coming home with me for Thanksgiving," Sage assured him. "It's just the days leading up to Thanksgiving that I can't afford any distractions. Like this!" she exclaimed suddenly, looking around as though she was shocked to find food in her hand. "What is this? Do you know how much I have to do? Why am I even eating?"

"Because it's hard to finish anything if you put yourself in a diabetic coma," Cam reminded her. "Eating is good."

"I love to eat," she informed him. "I do it everyday. But I also love to pass my classes, so let's prioritize here."

"If you don't make eating a priority then you can forget about me going anywhere," Cam told her.

"And if I do you will?" She was quick, Hunter would give her that.

Cam hesitated.

"It'd give me something to do while Blake's studying," Hunter offered. "We could share a motel room or something. And his last class is Tuesday, so I promise to have you back here by--" He looked at Sage questioningly.

"I'd like to be out of here Wednesday morning," she told him. "Actually, I'd like to be out of here right now, but failing that, Wednesday morning is okay too. Assuming I'm still alive by then."

"We'll be home Tuesday night," Hunter promised. "No problem."

So Cam never actually agreed, and it turned out that Blake wanted to wait for Tori to come home, which meant that he didn't leave until Wednesday anyway. Cam and Hunter spent more time with each other than with either of them, but Hunter found he didn't mind so much. Even having to share a room with Cam, which had the potential to be weird and kind of annoying, turned out to be all right.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the dorm night in Tori and Blake's building. Tori was contributing refreshments, so they all went down early and pretended to help set up while they really just took free food and watched the people who knew what they were doing. Someone had left their guitar on a chair by the door, and on a whim Hunter hadn't expected from Cam, Cam picked it up and started to play.

He recognized the song after a minute, and he grinned. "The Devil Went Down To Georgia!" he called.

"He was looking for a soul to steal," Cam replied.

Hunter supplied the next line, just for the fun of it, and they ended up reciting the entire first verse. The girls who were setting up clapped, Tori cheered them on, and Blake looked so surprised that Hunter laughed while Cam kept going. Cam had been practicing, he realized, swinging a chair around to sit next to him. He could sing the chorus and play at the same time, and he glanced over at Hunter when he finished.

They did the second verse too, and people started to drift into the lounge but no one claimed the guitar Cam was using. So they finished the song to a slightly bigger audience than they'd started with. Everyone clapped, which was kind of strange, but it prompted Cam to start "Uneasy Rider" and Hunter figured what the hell.

He didn't actually know all the words, so he made up what he couldn't remember and turned it into a parody of AGU. That seemed to make up for the fact that he and Cam couldn't coordinate with each other to save their lives, but he was done after that. Cam either got that or felt the same way, because he put the guitar down without a word and resumed their supervisory snack sampling.

The rest of the night was fun, and about as relaxed as Blake and Tori got the whole time he and Cam were there. Apparently right before Thanksgiving was not a fun time at the university--which seemed strange, because here was Cam, totally class- and work-free. Hunter asked him about it, and Cam just shrugged and told him that some semesters were better than others that way.

They took Blake and Tori out for lunch on Tuesday before heading home. He wished Tori good luck with her last class and told Blake he'd see him in Blue Bay, and they hit the road. He wasn't going to risk Sage's wrath by breaking his promise.

The lights were on in Cam's apartment when they pulled into Forest Park. Sage must have been watching for them, because she opened the door before they even made it to the stairs. Hanging onto the railing with one arm, she leaned over and flung the other one into the air. "Who's finished!" she yelled down to them.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad one!" Hunter shouted back. "You don't look dead!"

She laughed, swinging around the roof support and flying down the stairs. He was still amazed by how fast she could move in a skirt. "I survived! I even handed everything in! Hi Cam!"

And she wrapped her arms around Cam and kissed him. Hunter looked away. Then he frowned and glanced back at them, wondering what had made him do that. It wasn't like he'd never seen them kiss before--maybe not like this, the "welcome home I'm so relieved it's over" kiss, but still--he'd just never been embarrassed about it before.

Then they were letting each other go, and Sage was pulling Cam toward the stairs as she chattered at her typically high rate of speed about things that made too much sense for him to process all at once. Funny that she and Marah had that in common, Hunter thought distantly. Yet he got the feeling that Sage was actually cutting out words in order to get her point across as fast as possible, whereas Marah seemed to be adding in as many as she could to explain the smallest detail.

"I'm gonna head out," Hunter called after them, not totally sure either of them was listening. "Have a good Thanksgiving."

"No, Hunter--" Sage stopped at the bottom of the stairs, leaning around Cam to wave to him. "You too, come on, I have stories!"

Cam turned too, looking surprised that Hunter wasn't with them.

"Nah, I have to get up early," he told them. "Sorry. Maybe we can catch up when you guys get back or something."

"Okay," she agreed easily. "Say hi to your brother for me! Have a great holiday!"

Cam looked a little troubled, but it could have just been the light. "Thanks for the ride," he called. "Happy Thanksgiving, Hunter."

"Yeah, sure." Hunter waved from the sidewalk. "You too."

He got back in the truck and put his seatbelt on, glancing up at the stairs as he put the key back in the ignition. Light spilled out of Cam's apartment as he and Sage went inside, then dimmed and disappeared altogether when the door shut behind them. Hunter looked at the door for a long moment, then shook his head and started the truck.

He slept late the next morning. Just because he could, really, and Blake wasn't getting home until the afternoon anyway so what did it matter? When he finally got up, the apartment seemed strangely stale, so he went down to the bike shed with the goal of putting in some maintenance time on his old bike.

To his surprise, he wasn't the only one who'd had that idea. Dustin was there, alone, puttering around on a day when Hunter had figured he would be at Storm Chargers. Or maybe he had been, and Kelly had sent him down here for some reason.

"Hey, Dustin," he offered, pausing just inside the door. "Am I gonna be in your way if I come in and do some work?"

"Oh, hey." Dustin looked up from a clipboard like he hadn't even heard the door open. "Nah, come on in. What are you doing here?"

"Just killing time till Blake gets home. You?"

"Uh..." Dustin looked down at his clipboard, then around at the shed. "Just, uh, checking up on things. You know, since no one will be around tomorrow, I figured I'd better..." He trailed off.

"Dustin?" Hunter eyed him warily. "You all right?"

"It's just this whole thing with Marah," Dustin burst out. "I mean, my dad likes her, right? And I like her, so what's the problem?"

"I dunno," Hunter said carefully.

"I mean, if she'd rather spend the holidays with her sister than with me," Dustin continued, "then that's her choice, right? I just feel like I'm _borrowing _her, you know? Like, when I'm around I'm okay, but when I'm not around I don't even matter."

Hunter just looked at him.

"Yeah, dude, I have to go give this to Kelly," Dustin said distractedly. "I'll see you around."

"See ya," Hunter echoed. He assumed "this" was the clipboard, since that was the only thing Dustin walked out with. He further assumed that Dustin hadn't really expected advice and had just wanted to vent. Which was good with him, since what was he supposed to say?

Borrowing her. The sentiment sounded disturbingly familiar. He decided not to think about it.

Blake was at the apartment when he got back that afternoon, and the first thing they did was go grocery shopping. That turned out to not be their best idea ever on the day before Thanksgiving, but they did end up with food so it all worked out for the best. They goofed off that evening, watched the Thanksgiving Day parade the next morning, and then celebrated Thanksgiving dinner by making homemade pizza.

Then Blake went off to a second Thanksgiving dinner at Tori's house, and Hunter went up to the Thunder Academy to visit Sensei Omino and Leanne. It was kind of nice to see them both at the same time--well, to see them at all, lately. But both at the same time was a bonus, so they swapped stories and bragged about Blake in his absence and it was the closest to them that Hunter had been all year.

He would look back on that Thanksgiving as the end of his drifting days, even if he didn't realize it at the time. Or for some time afterward. It was the last time he thought about moving in any serious way, and it was the last time he thought that everybody else seemed to be settling into a comfortable, routine life of which he wasn't really a part. That was the illusion created by the holiday, and it was a thorough one, but it didn't last through December.

Neither did Sage. For reasons that were confusing and never fully explained, Cam's girlfriend of nine months left him a week after Thanksgiving. Hunter couldn't decide who to be more pissed at, Sage or Cam. Sage for leaving, and Cam for letting it happen. Where had he been when their happy little world was falling apart? They had been fine two weeks ago.

It was a good thing that Cam had this habit of breaking up with people during the winter, Hunter thought grimly. He was around, he had the time, and he could pick up the pieces. Or chew out the appropriate party.

He looked up Sage Kianosavit without saying anything to Cam. All Cam had said when he asked why they broke up was, "I don't know," which told Hunter nothing. It didn't assign any blame, either, and since Hunter was going to blame _someone_ he figured it might as well be the right someone.

So he called Sage, and was only mildly surprised when she greeted him with as much enthusiasm as ever. "Hunter!" she exclaimed. "How was your Thanksgiving?"

"Better than yours," he told her. "What the hell happened to you and Cam?"

"Oh." She sounded vaguely guilty. "You heard about that, huh?"

"Yeah, it came up," he snapped. "What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything," she assured him. And he knew that, but he also knew enough not to blame the person he was trying to get information from. "It was just the right time, that's all."

"The right time for what?" Hunter demanded. "Do you have any idea how good you've been for him? You guys are great together!"

"I know." He thought he heard her sigh. "He was good for me too. I miss him already."

"So what are you doing? What happened?" he wanted to know. "Cam won't tell me anything, and I don't know how I'm supposed to talk to him if I don't have any clue what to say."

There was a pause, and then Sage said quietly, "Say you care about him and you're not going to let him down. That's all he really needs to hear."

"Yeah," Hunter agreed. "From _you_."

"Is that why you didn't say anything?" Sage wanted to know. He was used to non sequiturs from her, but he didn't think this was really the time. "Because you think he needs me?"

"He wants you," Hunter informed her. "I don't know what happened with you guys, but you're good together and I don't know why you'd want to throw that away."

"We're not throwing it away," Sage said sharply, and he blinked. He thought that might be the first time she'd ever snapped at him. "It was good. We changed each other. Now it's time to move on."

Hunter frowned even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Did Cam get any say in this decision?"

There was a funny sound, almost like a laugh--or maybe a sigh. "He sure did," she told him, and she made it sound like there was a lot there that she wasn't sharing. "Believe me, he got plenty of say."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hunter demanded.

"It means you're talking to the wrong person." She didn't sound angry or put off by his questions--she actually sounded like _she_ was trying to advise _him_, and he couldn't figure out where that came from. "Seriously, Hunter. Ask him. I think he'll tell you."

Hunter disagreed, but he managed to get off the phone without swearing at her--at least not seriously--and he considered that something of an achievement. It wasn't very satisfying. But later, when he was standing outside Cam's apartment and trying to decide whether to get out his cell phone or just knock, it did make him feel a little better that he hadn't taken all of his frustration out on Sage.

He knocked. The light was on, but there was no answer. He was never sure how long to wait before knocking again, but he was pretty sure Cam was in there and deliberately ignoring the door. So he knocked once more before pulling out his phone.

The answering machine picked up. "Hi," he told it. "I'm standing outside your door. And I talked to Sage today, if you're curious. Interesting conversation. She was a little more snippy than usual, but I guess that's not surprising since I don't think I've ever actually yelled at her before."

There was a high-pitched whine, the sound of a beep, and then Cam's voice came over the phone. "The door's open," was all he said. The phone made a clicking sound when he hung up.

Okay then. Hunter pushed the door open and went in, almost tripping over Heather when she ran over to greet him. Her tail was straight up in the air, so he took a moment to lean down and pat her. She purred as soon as he rubbed her face, and she even let him scoop her up before he headed over toward Cam's desk.

Cam was Working. He gave the impression that he had only answered the phone to stop the machine from talking. He had his back to the rest of the room with both hands on the keyboard, and he paid no attention to the proximity of a cute and very loving kitty when Hunter walked up behind him. He had told Hunter to come in, though, and Hunter wasn't going to forget that.

"That a Virgo thing?" Hunter suggested at last, when Cam refused to turn around. "That you work when you're upset instead of moping around on the couch like any normal person?"

He wasn't sure how well the astrology joke would go over without Sage around to make it cool, but if there were any topics he needed to avoid he might as well find out now. Better to make Cam mad when he was already mad than to calm him down and then make a mistake later.

"Is it a Gemini thing to be so nosy?" Cam snapped.

Hey, Cam remembered what his sign was. Check it out. He affected a disinterested shrug. "Beats me," he said truthfully. "Listen, I need your help."

Heather squirmed, stretching her paws out in a clear request to be put down. He set her down on the desk next to Cam's computer, which made Cam huff impatiently. He kept his keyboard in a drawer to keep cat hair from getting into it, and Hunter knew perfectly well that the cat wasn't allowed on the desk. Cam ignored her, though, and Heather jumped down almost immediately. Too bad.

"There's a movie playing in the student building, right?" Hunter guessed. "I want to see it, and I need some company."

Cam still didn't turn around. "Tough."

"It's a really good movie," Hunter told him. "I mean, it doesn't have any keyboards or external hard drives or whatever, but other than that it's pretty much the same as what you're looking at now."

He saw Cam's flicker of hesitation, even from behind. "You don't have any idea what movie's playing, do you."

"No," Hunter admitted. "But I still want the company."

This time the hesitation was more noticeable, and finally Cam turned a little in his chair. "What did Sage tell you?" he asked the floor.

Hunter frowned, aware that the question was odd but not totally sure why. He didn't realize until later that Cam should have been more worried about what he might have said to Sage. "Just that it was 'time,'" he said, rolling his eyes at the last word. "She misses you but it was time to move on. Typical hippie stuff."

"That's all?" Cam asked, glancing up at him. His expression was impossible to read, but that wasn't unusual for Cam.

"That's it," Hunter agreed. "She totally blew me off, but I guess it wasn't really any of my business in the first place."

He'd expected a sarcastic response from Cam. Instead, this remark was met with silence. He didn't know what to make of that, so he prompted, "Well? We've only got ten minutes to make the mystery movie, y'know."

Cam sighed. "Fine," he conceded. "On the condition that you promise not to stalk Sage."

"I wasn't stalking her," Hunter informed him. "I was trying to get her to tell me what happened since you wouldn't."

"Fine," Cam repeated, glaring at him. "Don't."

Hunter held up his hands in surrender. "I won't grill Sage," he grumbled. "I promise. Now can we go?"

They did, and the movie turned out to be The Matrix: Reloaded, which was pretty much better than anything else Hunter could have expected to see. Cam watched it, reluctantly at first but it _was_ a cool movie and eventually he stopped looking around the room and sighing to himself at random intervals. He wasn't any more talkative afterward than he had been before, unfortunately.

Or maybe that was a good thing. Like he had told Sage, he really didn't have any idea what to say to Cam. He was glad to have gotten him out of his apartment. He was a little worried that Cam seemed to be reverting to pre-Sage seriousness and brooding, the absence of which Hunter had started to take for granted. He figured it was probably normal, given the abrupt end to their relationship, but he wasn't sure he liked it.

He showed up at Cam's apartment again the next day. He hadn't bothered to call first this time either, but he figured if Cam wasn't there then that was all to the good. He just wanted to get Cam's compulsive thinking focused on something other than Sage for a while.

Cam was there. He opened the door this time, which seemed like a good sign. He didn't look surprised to see Hunter. "You don't give up, do you," he said, obviously not asking a question.

"Hi to you too," Hunter replied. "I'm going Christmas shopping. Want to come?"

Cam gave him a neutral look. "Since when do buy presents for anyone three weeks in advance? You still have twenty more shopping days to go."

"I'm kind of disturbed that you know that," Hunter informed him. "But I'll overlook it, because you obviously don't understand the early holiday shopping crowd. No one out there is buying presents for _other_ people today. The only reason to shop early is to get the good stuff for yourself before it's all gone."

Cam's look became more disapproving, which meant one of two things. Either he was in a really pissy mood after all, or he was trying not to smile. "I'm not sure it counts as Christmas shopping if all you do is buy things for yourself."

"Hey, guess what," Hunter told him. "It's Christmas and I'm shopping. Don't be so picky."

"Okay," Cam said with a sigh. "Fine. I can see that my presence is really important for this ritual."

"Oh, it is," Hunter assured him, following him into the apartment when Cam stepped away from the door. "Your role is to be my buffer later when Tori mocks me for last-minute shopping. Well, I'll tell her, I tried to get it done early, but Cam was with me and you know how he is."

"Since she knows what a procrastinator I am," Cam said dryly. "Is it going to blow your story if I actually do shop for other people, or am I just going on this trip to play videogames with you in the electronics store?"

Hunter eyed him speculatively. "Are you offering? Cause I'm happy to kick your butt at the game of your choice."

Cam just snorted. "We'll see."

It could have been a brush-off, but it turned out to be a threat. Which was great, because it meant that he and Cam actually did spend hours testing out videogame systems and various other pieces of electronic equipment. Including a camcorder, digital video editor, and DVD player. The staff really hated them by the time they left, but Cam was smiling again and he actually suggested getting coffee. That was worth any amount of ill will, as far as Hunter was concerned.

They stopped at a sports store afterward, which ironically was the first place either of them bought anything, and by the time they were done it didn't seem so weird to get some real food. Hunter helped Cam carry stuff inside when they finally got back to his apartment, Heather leapt on the crinkly sounding bags before they were even emptied, and Cam laughed for the first time. It made Hunter grin to hear it.

Then Cam did that annoying thing where he let the answering machine play while he was unloading things, and that was where the fun ended. There was only one message on the machine, but it stopped them both in their tracks. Heather tore a hole in one of the bags and started rolling around the floor in it, unnoticed.

"Hello, Cameron," the voice on the answering machine said. It was calm and familiar, and Hunter glanced at Cam to see if hearing from his father was as unexpected as he thought it was.

Yeah. Judging by that expression, there was no one he'd expected to hear from less.

"The Wind Academy will be hosting an interdisciplinary demonstration of ninja skills and abilities on December the tenth," Sensei was saying. "Students of the Thunder Academy will also be in attendance. I am uncertain whether you are aware of this event or not, but... your attendance would be most welcome."

Most welcome? Hunter considered that. It sounded a little less polished than Sensei Watanabe's norm, probably because of that hesitation there at the end. And, "most welcome." What did that mean, exactly?

"Your presence at the school has been missed," Sensei continued. "If you're interested in the proceedings, I would enjoy this chance to see you again. The most impressive displays will begin at two o'clock, although, as I'm sure you recall, the demonstration itself is a day long event." There was a long pause, and then, "Goodbye."

Hunter glanced at Cam just as Cam was looking up at him. The smile was gone from his face, and he just looked lost. It was a weird expression to see on Cam.

He looked down when a Heather-shaped bag crashed into the island, scampering madly away the moment Hunter moved to help free her. He shook his head, watching her shake herself free and hide under the couch. Cats.

"What does he want?" Cam asked at last. He didn't sound any more sure of himself than his expression looked.

"To see you," Hunter said, looking up at him again. He hoped, for Cam's sake, that that was the whole truth.

"Does he?" Cam was frowning. He thought maybe that was a slight improvement. "Or is he just trying to lure me in so he can... I don't know, show me off. Lecture me. Embarrass me. It could be almost anything."

"It's been almost a year," Hunter pointed out. He wanted to think that Sensei was trying. "Maybe he really wants to see you. Maybe he's just trying to get into the holiday spirit."

"Maybe." Cam didn't look convinced.

"Leanne mentioned this demo thing," Hunter said, reaching down to pick up the bag Heather had shredded. He crumpled it into a ball and tossed it in the trash. "A couple of her students are in it. Sounds like it might be kind of cool."

"Really?"

He didn't blame Cam for sounding skeptical. He probably suspected that Hunter didn't have the slightest idea what went on at the Thunder Academy now. He saw his family, infrequently, but when he trained he did it alone. He hadn't made time for ninja school since joining up with Factory Blue.

"Are you going?" Cam wanted to know.

Hunter shrugged. "Might," he said, trying to sound casual. He hadn't given it any thought after Leanne mentioned it. It wasn't at the top of his Ways To Spend The Holiday Weekends list. "Hadn't really decided."

Cam was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't have anything to say to him right now."

Hunter opened the cat toy drawer and found the blinking rubber ball Sage had given to Heather. He flipped it on and set it down on the floor. "Maybe he has something to say to you," he suggested, not looking up.

Which was how, the next weekend, he found himself driving his truck over the rutted logging roads that wound deep into the mountains. Cam was in the passenger seat, wearing his ninja uniform for the first time since he'd earned his teaching badge. It glinted against the worn leather of his uniform.

Cam hadn't told his father they were coming and Hunter hadn't asked why. He'd mentioned the demo to Blake, but his bro was off at some incredibly cutesy holiday activity with his girlfriend today. He didn't know whether Dustin or Shane was planning to show up.

The campus was flooded with ninjas by the time they arrived, which was about twenty minutes before two. There were black uniforms everywhere, colored accents and shiny elemental symbols, banners flying above the grounds and a generally festive air. Hunter didn't feel quite as out of place as he'd expected--he knew this life, after all. The environment was even comforting, in a way. Kind of like coming home after having been away for a long time.

A glance at Cam told him nothing about how the samurai felt about it. Cam had on his stern face, the one that told everyone to just back off because he didn't have time for their problems. He saw Sensei before Hunter did, and he muttered a warning.

"Cam." Sensei must have been watching the holographic entryway to have seen them so quickly. And he used Cam's nickname, which Hunter couldn't remember him doing since graduation. "Hunter. It's good to see you both."

He sounded sincere about it, Hunter thought. "Sensei," he replied, bowing a little.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cam nod. "Good to see you too, Dad." He didn't sound at all sure of that, and everything about him said he was this close to turning and walking away.

"I'm glad you were able to join us today," Sensei offered, not seeming to notice Cam's stiffness. "You must be very busy this time of year."

"Looks like you are too." Cam was looking out at the campus instead of at his father. "Hunter said Leanne has a couple of students in it this year."

"Indeed," Sensei agreed smoothly. He took the hint gracefully, Hunter thought. "Leanne Omino is a skilled weapons instructor. I believe she will be making an appearance in the upcoming scene."

"She said she didn't have much time to practice," Hunter put in. "The whole training students thing took up a lot of her prep time."

"I'm sure the results of that effort will be visible today," Sensei said, inclining his head. A gesture of respect for Leanne, maybe? "I trust that your family is well, Hunter."

"They are." Hunter deliberately didn't look at Cam. "Leanne's been a little stressed by this demo, and Blake's been kind of busy with finals coming up. But they're both taking time to do the important stuff, so... that's what matters."

"Indeed," Sensei repeated quietly. He didn't look at Cam either, Hunter noticed. "And Master Omino?"

"I saw him on Thanksgiving," Hunter answered. "He's given me some good advice this year, so I let him know. He's pretty happy with the way things are going at the school."

"That's good to hear," Sensei said solemnly. "Please convey my respect when you see him next."

"I will, Sensei."

They were quiet for a moment, and Hunter resisted the temptation to cross his arms. He was just here to support Cam. Being impatient or frustrated wouldn't help, but it wasn't his job to fix things with Sensei, either. He couldn't make it all better by carrying the conversation.

"You must be anticipating your graduation this spring, Cam," Sensei said at last.

"May thirteenth," Cam told the air, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond either of them. "You're welcome to come." He said it like he wasn't really, but Sensei only nodded.

"I wouldn't miss it," he said quietly.

Cam looked at him for the first time. "I'm probably going to stay on," he said after a moment. "Go for my doctorate."

"Oh?" Sensei visibly brightened when Cam actually volunteered some information. "Will you continue your work with networked computer systems?"

Hunter looked at him in surprise. Sensei wasn't that good with technology, just as a general rule, and the fact that he could even use a phrase like "networked computer systems" in application to Cam's thesis was pretty impressive. He glanced at Cam, wondering if Cam attributed any significance to the question or not.

"I plan to," Cam said, his expression unreadable. "Yes."

"And does the zord data you've been gathering this past year assist you in your studies?" Sensei inquired.

Hunter shot him a sharp look, but Sensei was as hard to read as Cam.

"You know about that?" Cam blurted out.

"I believe it was you who set the system in Ninja Ops to monitor instances of 'remote access'," Sensei reminded him. "I am not entirely sure how this is done, but I can read the statistics as well as anyone."

Cam didn't answer, and Sensei added, "I am pleased that the technology has been of use to you in your current work."

Cam looked up at that. "I didn't think you'd approve," he said, studying his father's expression.

"I trust you to use the data prudently," Sensei said calmly. "I would be interested to hear about its application if you care to explain, but it is not a requirement for your continued access."

"Thank you," Cam said after a moment. "Maybe we could talk about it some other time. If you're interested."

"I would enjoy that," Sensei agreed. There was a noticeable pause and then, with obvious reluctance, he remarked, "It seems that there are people waiting to speak to you."

Hunter had seen Nena hovering nearby, but he hadn't expected Sensei to voluntarily surrender Cam's attention. Cam was the only one who seemed surprised, and he nodded in Nena's direction as he caught sight of her. She took that as the invitation it probably was and came over to join them.

"Sensei," she said, bowing respectfully, and Cam's father smiled a little. Hunter thought maybe it was a sad look, but what did he know.

"Nena," Sensei replied, inclining his head. "If you will excuse me, I will leave you to your conversation. Cam," he added. "Hunter. It was good to speak with you. I hope I will see you again... soon."

Hunter had almost expected him to stop at seeing them again, period. It was hard to tell whether he was actually that optimistic, or if he just realized how it would sound otherwise. Hey, thanks for coming, hope I haven't alienated my only son so much that he denies my existence. Have a nice day.

Sensei left then, and it turned out that Nena had come to introduce them to someone. A new ninja student who had joined the school after two years of samurai training. The guy was considerably older than they were, but he seemed impressed by Cam and that was always good for the ego. So Hunter didn't worry too much about Cam until they were leaving that evening and he got that quiet "I don't care about anything" attitude.

"You all right?" Hunter asked, keeping his voice low as they walked out through the waterfall. There would be other ninjas here, mostly invisible, but they didn't have any reason to eavesdrop.

Cam shrugged it off anyway. "Fine," he muttered.

Hunter left it alone, but once they were away from the lake Cam said, "He hasn't changed, has he."

Hunter thought about that. "He seemed different to me," he said at last.

Cam shook his head. "He seemed _careful._ Not different."

"Careful isn't different?" Hunter asked, raising his eyebrows.

"He was so careful not to mention anything we argued about," Cam pointed out. "He didn't say he was sorry, or that I was right, or that any of those things don't matter anymore. He just said he was glad to see me again."

"Yeah, well, you have to start somewhere," Hunter said with a shrug. "Besides, what did you argue about? Teaching. That's been pretty much solved. Maybe there's nothing else to say about it."

"It wasn't the teaching," Cam said fiercely. "It was my _ability_ to teach. Just because some other ninja masters said I could teach doesn't mean he's changed his opinion of my capabilities. To say nothing of being bi. Or keeping the amulet."

"Bi?" Hunter repeated. Bisexual? This was the first he'd heard of it. "You're bi now?"

Cam gave him an annoyed look, like he had deliberately missed the memo. "Did you _see_ me with Jules? Because apparently everyone else did, and Tori's always saying you're the observant one."

The Cam-with-Jules memory was hazy, actually, and he suspected that if he thought about it that would turn out to be deliberate. He remembered the time--vividly--but the visual just wasn't there. He figured he'd probably had a good reason for forgetting and decided not to second-guess himself.

"As I recall," he told Cam, "you were the one who said that Jules was convenient. Someone you couldn't hurt, I think you said."

"Nowhere in that description did you mention the word 'female,'" Cam said impatiently.

"Wait--" Hunter's brain was just starting to get past the "bi" label. "Keeping the amulet?"

Cam just looked at him.

Right. He backed up. "Okay. First, I didn't know you were bi, since when I asked you if you'd date another guy I'm pretty sure you got all snippy about being with Sage and didn't answer the question. I dunno why you're acting like I should have known. And second, since when is there any question about you being able to keep your own amulet?"

"I'm bi," Cam informed him. "Now you know. And my dad felt that the amulet could best serve the academy if it was at the academy. It's pretty good argument, actually, except for the fact that I don't see any reason for the amulet to serve the academy in the first place. It being mine and all."

"When did this come up?" Hunter wanted to know. "Was this last winter?"

"Before that," Cam said. "When I first mentioned moving out. That's why he wasn't around to help the day I left."

Hunter remembered. "Has he said anything to you since then? About the amulet?"

"Not a word," Cam admitted. Under his breath he added, "Maybe he remembered it was a _gift._ From Mom."

Hunter was pretty sure Sensei remembered. He also suspected that Cam had reminded him, possibly more than once. Cam had a knack for hitting people's weak spots in a serious argument. It was vaguely disturbing.

They made it to the truck in the wake of that exchange, and the ride back was mostly quiet. When he finally pulled into Forest Park, though, Hunter started to say something about the demo. He stopped when Cam said abruptly, "Were you even planning to go to that demonstration?"

Hunter hesitated, but lying about it wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Nah," he admitted. "Had a good time, though."

Cam gave him a half-smile. "Thanks."

That one word made Hunter feel damn good, and he slapped Cam on the shoulder before he got out of the truck. "You got it."

Cam spent Christmas with Hunter and Blake and Leanne again. But this time he called his dad, and he even brought up the vague possibility of spending some one-on-one time with him eventually. In the way that he remarked, "Maybe we could have lunch together or something," and then totally failed to mention the idea to his dad.

Hunter thought that Sensei would jump at the chance to have lunch with Cam, but it wasn't his call. So he just offered Cam a ride to First Night, and then checked around to see if anyone was bringing any unexpected guests this year. He figured he'd do better if he knew in advance.

Cam promised to come alone. Hunter asked the others too, in an offhanded sort of way, and it turned out to be a good thing because Kapri was coming. Who knew? Everyone, apparently, except for him and probably Cam.

So all the old gang was together on New Years Eve. Insofar as the old gang involved Marah and Kapri, anyway, which Hunter had to admit it probably did. They wandered around downtown for hours beforehand, enjoying the snacks and the random performances and the feeling of being with other people. Even Cam seemed to enjoy himself, which made a nice change from last year when his good cheer had seemed awfully determined to Hunter.

When midnight rolled around, they were all out in front of Storm Chargers with noisemakers and a kind of freaky amount of glitter. Kelly ran her own version of the Main Street countdown happening a couple of blocks away. When the last seconds of 2005 ticked away, everybody whooped and hugged each other and there was way more kissing than usual.

Which was to say, mostly, that Kapri surprised the hell out of them by kissing Shane. Blake and Tori were a given, and Dustin and Marah didn't shock anyone anymore, but Kapri with Shane was a new and seriously weird thought. Kapri just laughed it off, turning to kiss Hunter on the cheek, and if that was supposed to lessen the impact of the cutesy kiss she'd given Shane then he didn't appreciate it.

He told her so, loudly, complaining that no one respected the gay guy anymore, which he felt was only partly true but it couldn't hurt to remind them. This prompted Cam to release Tori from an all-encompassing hug that Hunter doubted they would have seen from him before the days of Sage and turn to kiss him. On the mouth. With a badass grin that left Hunter gaping at him while everyone else just kept cheering or laughing or blowing their noisemakers at each other.

Shane told him that now he could stop bitching. Blake told Cam to wash his mouth out with soap. Dustin missed the whole thing and had to have it explained to him while Tori gave them both a speculative look that Hunter completely ignored.

Years later, his bro's girl would break it to him that he was one of the most observant guys she knew--when it came to other people. When it came to his own life, though, Tor was convinced he had blinders the size of a bus. He didn't think that was totally fair, since it wasn't like he'd never seen the signs. He just never followed them to their logical conclusion.

After all, it was only a kiss. And a New Years kiss on top of that.

It didn't mean anything.


End file.
